Asian community hit by Labour's plans to crack down on family visit visas

8.00.00am GMT Wed 19th Dec 2007

Labour's plans to force families to pay £1,000 'bonds' to enable close relatives from overseas to visit is an unwarranted attack on west London's Asian community says South West London's Liberal Democrat Assembly candidate Stephen Knight.

"The ability to visit close relatives who live abroad is an essential part of normal family life," says Stephen Knight, "but Labour's approach to immigration issues seems more interested in pandering to racist attitudes of the right-wing media than in protecting the interests of families."

"Labour's plan to force families to put up £1,000 'bonds' to enable close relatives to visit from abroad will have a damaging effect on the family life of many people in west London and treats ordinary families like criminals.

"It is ridiculous that, as families across the UK gather together over the Christmas period, Labour thinks that enabling families with relative abroad to do the same thing is some kind of threat to the British way of life."